Explain It to Me Like I'm 5: What Lydia Athanasiou does as an ethical hacker

Lydia Athanasiou is an Offensive Security Consultant (Penetration Tester) at Sopra Steria.  

But what does that mean?  

She’s part of something called the Offensive Security team, which means her mission is to try and break into computer systems. But it’s not to cause trouble, it’s to help companies fix problems before someone bad finds them. 

What does the Offensive Security team do? 

Imagine a castle. The Blue Team builds the walls and watches for intruders. The Offensive Security team tries to sneak in to see if the walls are strong enough. Lydia is on that team. She looks for cracks in the digital walls, things like weak passwords, outdated software/components, insufficient encryption or uncontrolled access rights.  

In very rare occasions and for very specific projects, Lydia even pretends to be someone else. She once pretended to be a technician to test how secure a building was. Without showing any ID or having an appointment, she was let in and given access to sensitive areas. Once inside, she and her team installed software to simulate a cyberattack. “It felt like being a spy,” she says. In a great example of social engineering, the goal wasn’t to cause harm, but to show how easily someone could slip through the cracks and help the client fix them. 

Every day is different 

Lydia’s work changes all the time. In just one month, she might dive into three completely different projects. Some days she’s testing websites; other days she’s checking mobile apps or helping companies improve their code so it’s harder to hack. 

She also does something called Purple Teaming. It’s like a game of hide and seek, where both sides learn from each other. Lydia tries to break in and the Blue Team tries to catch her. If they miss something, she helps them learn how to spot it next time. 

Working with space systems 

Right now, Lydia is working on a project with the European Space Agency. She works in rooms with no internet. “It’s like stepping into another world,” she says. 

Her tasks there include configuration audits and penetration tests, basically checking how secure the systems are and trying to find ways in. “We act like insiders and see what damage we could do if we had access we shouldn’t have.” 

Why Lydia loves her job 

Lydia’s work may sound complex, but at its heart, it’s about keeping people and systems safe. Whether she’s testing the control centres of satellites or helping a company fix its website, she’s driven by curiosity, precision, and a deep sense of responsibility.  

For her, cyber security isn’t just a job; it’s a way to protect the digital world we all rely on.